A glimpse at the typical workplace gang

The tapestry of workplace characters includes one or two extremely friendly ones who will sit with you at lunch every day, talk about their kids, ask you lots of questions, and always include you in the weekly lotto or any other activity that may be floating about the office. There are always a few quiet ones who will only speak when spoken to and give the impression of having no desire to engage in any kind of discussion with you unless it is pertinent to work. They seem to be quite content to remain outside the social circle. Then there are a few who you just can’t seem to get a read on at all. From one day to the next, you aren’t sure where you stand with them or how to go about establishing any kind of rapport. They seem to go from hot to cold without cause and you are forever wondering what makes them tick. 

There are usually visible cliques inside the group and are often interdepartmental. For instance, you will notice the same two people from accounting step out for lunch together every day or hear all about the weekend golfing adventures of the guys in IT. You might also pick up on the personality conflicts or minor child’s play that may be hovering between two or more particular individuals. It happens in every office, just like it happens in every family.

Remember that for all your efforts to peg people and place them in some sort of mental category where you can relate to them, they are all doing the same with you. It isn’t even conscious for the most part. Perhaps your particular responsibilities require frequent or ongoing collaborations. Or maybe you are mostly assigned to independent tasks. Either way, you are now part of a team where the players share a common denominator—success of the organization.